The Big View

Reuters Breakingviews columnists tap their best contacts to explore the biggest issues driving business and markets today. Every Tuesday, Global Editor Peter Thal Larsen and his team tackle a pressing question with a senior executive, financier, policymaker, or other expert. The Big View helps you understand what is going on, explore all sides of the argument, and think about what happens next.

[For previous The Exchange podcast users, we didn't want to leave you hanging so we've decided to repurpose this feed for the launch of The Big View podcast. You can still find the legacy episodes below marked under the old title]

News
1
The Gulf energy crisis and the US-China showdown
35 min
2
How the Strait of Hormuz changes economic warfare
By strangling the waterway, Iran retaliated against the US and eased some financial sanctions. In this episode of The Big View Edward Fishman, senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, tells Peter Thal Larsen how American economic weapons have been turned against it.
32 min
3
How ransomware took the world economy hostage
36 min
4
OpenAI’s curious business conundrum
37 min
5
Global currencies have a rich past and poor future
30 min
6
Donald Trump’s biggest trade shock is yet to come
31 min
7
Why Africa’s growth prospects may be looking up
It’s easy to be glum about a continent grappling with US tariffs, cuts to aid, and climate change. Yet Joe Studwell, author of ‘How Africa Works’, says the conditions for development are in place. In this episode of The Big View, he tells Peter Thal Larsen why he’s optimistic.
33 min
8
Why Japan’s revitalisation can overcome high debt
35 min
9
How AI shockwaves ripple through financial markets
34 min
10
Why the world economy will keep on fragmenting
33 min
11
How to loosen China’s chokehold on rare earths
35 min
12
How a Detroit firm is dealing with tariff turmoil
It’s almost 10 months since Donald Trump launched his trade war. In this episode of The Big View, Peter Thal Larsen talks to Mike Musheinesh, CEO of Detroit Axle, about how the auto parts distributor is coping with import uncertainty – and his decision to sue the US government.
30 min
13
The murky economics and politics of Venezuelan oil
38 min
14
What investors can expect from markets in 2026
31 min
15
Private equity’s not-quite return to normality
Buyout barons suffered the whiplash of a post-pandemic boom and subsequent liquidity crunch. In this episode of The Big View, Jonathan Guilford talks to Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Seth Boro about how the firm is dealing with the fallout, even as AI once again upends the market.
37 min
16
Judges under siege administer poetic justice
39 min
17
The past and future fight about who owns the land
35 min
18
Pluses and minuses of the weight-loss drug bonanza
33 min
19
How globalisation set the stage for new strongmen
34 min
20
The manifold benefits of giving away your riches
37 min
21
Peering behind the dark clouds over climate change
45 min
22
What financial history tells us about the AI boom
The investment pouring into artificial intelligence evokes comparisons with previous speculative bubbles. In this episode of The Big View, Peter Thal Larsen talks to Edward Chancellor, the author and financial historian, about which warning signs investors should look out for.
35 min
23
The coming battle over the future of money
42 min
24
How climate and innovation are changing insurance
Costly natural disasters are more prevalent, while technology allows insurers to pinpoint risks more precisely. In this episode of The Big View podcast Peter Thal Larsen talks to Mario Greco, CEO of Zurich Insurance, about how the $100 bln Swiss group is navigating the landscape.
46 min
25
How to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine
36 min